Relatives and fellow cops gasped and sobbed as the verdict was read out. One man crumpled to his knees crying when the jury cleared Officer Thomas Bruder of charges he beat Louima in a police car.

Bruder, who later called it “a bittersweet victory [because] a fellow officer was left behind,” wept uncontrollably, as did his lawyer, Stuart London.

Schwarz’s furious relatives lashed out at prosecutor Alan Vinegrad as he left the courtroom.

“Rot in hell, Vinegrad!” screamed one unidentified woman.

“I hope your family sits shiva next week,” she added, referring to the seven-day mourning period observed by Jews after a death.

In the minutes immediately following the verdict, acquitted cop Thomas Wiese went into a back hallway and broke down while holding his family and his lawyer, Joseph Tacopina.

“Oh, God,” Wiese sobbed. “It’s been so long.”

The verdict in the racially charged case shows the anonymous jury believed Louima’s account of the bathroom assault, but did not see enough proof of alleged street beatings of Louima earlier on the night of Aug. 9, 1997.

Louima is black. All the cops in the case are white.

Tacopina had argued that physical evidence showed Louima was not beaten in Wiese’s patrol car, despite the fact that some of his blood was found in the back seat.

Officer Justin Volpe pleaded guilty two weeks ago to ramming a stick into Louima’s rectum in the bathroom of the 70th Precinct station house in Flatbush.

Louima’s rectum and bladder were torn in the attack, requiring emergency surgery and a two-month hospital stay.

Schwarz was convicted of helping Volpe in the attack, and was immediately fired from the NYPD.

“We’re not accepting this, he wasn’t guilty,” said Schwarz’s lawyer, Stephen Worth. “He believes the prosecution knows the truth and the truth is he wasn’t there.”

Louima, speaking at his lawyer’s office said the verdict “was not everything I wanted it to be.

“I am confident that in the end complete justice will be done in this case,” Louima said. “What happened to me should not happen to any human being, my children, or anyone else’s children.”

U.S. Attorney Zachary Carter said he will still pursue charges that Wiese and Bruder tried to cover up Schwarz’s role in the bathroom assault.

Lawyers for the two cops said they would seek to have that charge dismissed.

Schwarz – who was fired after the verdict was announced – also faces the coverup charge.

Michael Bellomo, the sergeant acquitted of lying to the FBI about the street beating, said he was “numb” after being cleared by the jury.

“I know I didn’t do anything wrong,” said Bellomo. “I did my job to the best of my ability. My heart goes out to the Schwarz family.”

Outside the courthouse, Bruder said: “I acted like a professional police officer and the jury saw that. I have nothing bad to say about Abner Louima, a horrible thing happened to him. I’m going to go home and sleep for a long while.”

The three acquitted cops still face departmental charges which could get them fired.

Wiese was the only one of the three acquitted cops who left immediately without speaking.